The Insanity Defense

Running Head : INSANITY POINT

The Insanity Defense

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The Insanity Defense

The Rules of Legal Ethics provide that the lawyers , as officers of the court , owe duty first and foremost to the court then next to the client In criminal cases , the accused retains the status of being innocent until proven guilty , and the lawyer for the defense has the legal and ethical duty to be zealous in defending the client to the best of his or her knowledge and ability using every defense within

the bounds of the law

According to the American criminal justice system , there can be no crime if there is no law punishing it . As the legislative department has the duty to enact laws , unless they legislate a law punishing a certain behavior , that act will not constitute as a crime . The Constitution is extremely clear that ex post facto laws are not allowed in the United States . Ex post facto laws are laws which announce a particular act to be illegal after the occurrence of the behavior . The law is clear when it requires every piece of legislation to be written in very clear and precise language not only to avoid confusion but also to provide a guide for individuals to know what is illegal and what is not . There can also be no crime if a person lacks the criminal intent to do it . In the language of criminal law , intent is interpreted as a mental demeanor which causes a...